BALLSTON SPA -- Voters in the Ballston Spa Central School District this past week approved the$8.9 million facilities improvement referendum that funds phase two of a master plan that includes renovations to the middle and high school athletic facilities and Wood Road Elementary School.

The Tuesday vote passed with 69 percent of the approximately 1,120 votes cast at polling sites at Ballston Spa High School and Malta Town Hall.

"We greatly appreciate the support of the school community as we continue to renovate our districtwide facilities," Superintendent Joseph P. Dragone said. "We are anxiously looking forward to beginning the phase two projects as soon as the necessary approvals are secured."

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District Community Relations Coordinator Stuart Williams said having a separate vote now instead of waiting for the May budget vote moves the improvements forward more quickly. Six months of the process would have been lost had the district waited, Williams said. Several of the projects are slated to begin this summer. With voters' approval , those projects can stay on schedule.

The projected net tax impact on a home assessed at $220,000 -- the average assessment of a home in the district -- is estimated to be $3.35 per year, starting in 2016.

In September, the school board approved phase two of the facilities improvement plan, which is the second half of the district's capital improvement project that began in January 2010. The $49.3 million first phase of the project was approved by public vote in October 2010.

Since then, renovations have been ongoing at the middle school, and construction began on a new elementary school.

The Wood Road Elementary School renovations in the second phase will be similar to phase one renovations at Milton Terrace North, which included renovations to classrooms and to bathrooms.

Other renovations scheduled for Wood Road Elementary School include flooring, upgrading boilers and hot-water generators, repairing and upgrading mechanical systems for safety and efficiency, upgrading fire alarms and public announcement systems, asbestos abatement and replacement of the gym floor and partitions.

At the high school, athletic facilities will be revamped, including work on the pool, track and tennis courts. Scoreboards will be installed at the varsity soccer/lacrosse field, the baseball field and the softball field.